Rooster Cogburn: The Prologue and Epilogue
by WayneandBrandon
Summary: This is the story of Rooster Cogburn and how he came to be, and what becomes of him after. In the prologue, Rooster goes on a heist that goes bad, and is convinced by the Sheriff to become a Marshal. In the epilogue, Rooster is working at the circus, and the Sheriff comes to visit him to talk about his past.


**Chapter 1: Rooster Cogburn's Early Years**

_**Author's Notes: A look into a scene in the pre-years of Rooster Cogburn's life, when he use to be an outlaw, and how he came to be a Marshal.**_

Reuben Cogburn explained his plan to Ned Pepper, "A little bird told me Old Man Richard has a large amount of gold buried in his cellar. Now, I need a group of capable individuals to help me retrieve this gold, and judging by your gang's reputation, it seems like your men are the perfect fit."

The reason Rooster had sought the Ned Pepper gang's help was their criminal notoriety. They were wanted in more than ten counties, making them the most wanted men west of Indian Country. Although Reuben didn't know if he could trust the gang, he was willing to throw his cards down for the stakes involved. After all, this was no one man job, and the payoff was huge. Ned recited the plan back to Cogburn, "So you want us to help you break into Old Man Richard's place, get the gold, and ride off into the sunset… that easy? How do you know he's not going to be there, or that there's even going to be gold?"

Cogburn replied, "Don't worry Ned, the plan is soundproof; I know the old man pretty well, and he leaves his house at two in the afternoon and returns at around six, like clockwork. This gives us more than enough time for us to do what we have to do and get out. He wouldn't even know what hit him. Trust me; the payout will be well worth it." Ned was interested, and after a moment of contemplation, he agreed to it.

The next day, the gang met up with Cogburn and rode out to the old man's house. They waited in the shadows until the old man finally left his house. It was time to put his plan in motion. Cogburn took a quick look around before advancing towards the house. He walked slowly and deliberately, with one hand on his revolver for reassurance. He rapped on the front door hard and loud, checking to see whether anyone was home. Certain that the coast was clear; he pulled his revolver out, blasted the lock on the door, and kicked it in. He looked back at the gang and gave them the thumbs up sign, and signaled them to follow.

He walked into the house, looked around, and was quite impressed by the man's set up. In a compulsive fit of dumb rage, he trashed the man's house, knocking over civil war artifacts and throwing random objects at the wall. Eddie yelled at him to stop, and Cogburn just laughed at him, "What's the matter Pepper, can't a man have his fun?"Pepper just shook his head and told him to continue with the plan.

Rooster found his way to the cellar door and walked down the steps, looking for the hole that the gold was supposedly buried in. After a moment of searching, he noticed a loose portion of the dirt covering the ground, and started digging there. He got about three feet deep when he felt the shovel hit something hard. He swept the dirt off and caught a glimpse of gold. He joyfully cheered, "Eureka! We hit the jackpot!" and continued to dig. The rest of the gang came down to help him pull the gold bars out and load them into bags. They had retrieved at least 20 bars of gold, which was worth more money than Cogburn could even comprehend. "Looks like we're rich boys!" exclaimed Cogburn.

Ned looked at Cogburn with a sinister smile, and replied, "Yes, the Ned Pepper gang is rich. Unfortunately, you, Rooster Cogburn, are not part of the gang, and therefore, will not be seeing any of this gold. To be honest, I never liked you Cogburn; you are nothing but a pathetic low life degenerate, and in my eyes, you do not deserve a single piece of this gold. Sorry my friend, but you've been set up."

"What the hell! You can't do this, we had an agreement!" yelled Cogburn. And before he could do anything, Ned drew his pistol out in a swift motion and shoots him straight in the left eye. Rooster dropped to the floor, screaming in agony while clutching his eye. The gang bursts out into a fit of maniacal laughter and Ned Pepper says, "Let's go boys, our job here is complete.", and they ride off into the horizon. Half dead and half blind, Cogburn was left moaning and cursing until Old Man Richard returned a few hours later. The scene the old man came back to was horrifying. There was blood everywhere, his house was absolutely trashed, and all his gold was gone. He alerted the authorities immediately; and the Sheriff arrived to arrest Cogburn and bring him in for questioning.

The sheriff sat Reuben Cogburn down and started off by saying, "Explain to me what exactly happened Reuben Cogburn, no bullshitting! I can smell it from a mile away". Cogburn's appearance was grotesque. His shirt was soaked in blood, and was wearing an eye patch that covered the hole where his left eye used to be. "It was that goddamn Ned Pepper gang, they double-crossed me! The original plan was to get the gold, in and out, simple! I knew I should have never trusted those dirty rats, goddamnit!"

"So what you're saying is that Ned Pepper gang betrayed you?" the Sheriff asked. "Yes! Those bastards took my gold and left me to die! I would do anything to get back at them", said Cogburn angrily. The sheriff looked carefully at Cogburn to see if he was lying, but only saw the deep hatred radiating from him. The sheriff was confident that he was telling the truth. He thought about what Cogburn said and came up with a brilliant idea. If he could get Cogburn on his side, he could use him to capture the elusive Ned Pepper gang. After all, the Ned Pepper gang had been in the trouble making business for a long time, and it was about time someone finally shut them down. Weighing his options, he decided Cogburn was capable, and decided to make him a deal.

"So, you would do anything to get back at the Ned Pepper gang huh?" Reuben nodded. "How about this, I will cut you a deal, seeing how badly you want to get back at the gang. If you can hunt down the Ned Pepper gang; dead or alive, I will see to it that you are a free man.", said the sheriff. Cogburn, surprised and wide-eyed asked, "Wait, so you want me to hunt the Ned Pepper gang down in exchange for my freedom? How the hell would I do that?"

"Well, I think it is in your best interest to hunt the gang down. It's either that or rotting in a jail cell for a very long time. And as for hunting down the Pepper gang, I will hire you as a U.S. Marshal so that you will have authority in any territory that the Pepper gang might be hiding out," said the Sheriff. Cogburn, still doubtful, asked, "Why would you trust me? How do you know that I'm not going to just go running off on the next train the second I get out of here?"

"Because I know how badly you want to see the Ned Pepper brought to justice. And if you do run, which I highly doubt, I will personally see to it that U.S Marshals in every state will be searching for you, and you will be caught, and this time you will be hung, comporende?" replied the Marshal. "Well, I guess I have no choice Sheriff, I'm in. When do I start?"

**Chapter 2: Rooster Cogburn's Life After**

_**Author's Notes: 20 Years after Mattie's adventure with Rooster, Rooster is working as a trick-shot gunslinger in a circus show**__._ _**The sheriff comes to visit Rooster, and they reminisce on their past experiences over a couple of drinks. **_

Reuben Cogburn's day at the circus had finally ended, and he headed back to his tent to get some rest. He plopped himself down on his chair, kicked his boots off, and let out a huge sigh of relief. He thought to himself, "Jesus, what a long day", and poured himself a nice glass of whiskey. He lit up a cigarette and let the stress of his day melt away with each drag. If there was a moment Rooster cherished in his life, this would have to be on the top of his list. For Rooster, there is nothing better in the world than to drown himself in a river of whiskey, where everything is perfect and beautiful. He closed his eyes and felt himself nodding off into an alcohol induced sleep. Suddenly, a loud voice cut through the air, "Ahem, is this Rueben Cogburn's tent?" which Rooster angrily replied, "Yes, this is him, what the hell do you want from me?"

"It's me, the Sheriff, can I come in?" the voice responded. Rooster groaned and peeked through the entrance of the tent with his good eye. Rooster immediately recognized the fat old man wearing a sheriff's badge and ivory colored uniform. "Jesus Sheriff, you haven't changed a bit since the last time I saw you Sheriff! Come on in old friend" laughed Rooster. The Sheriff made his way through the opening in the tent and looked at Rooster. "And I see you've grown uglier", joked the Sheriff. He poured the Sheriff a drink and asked him, "What brings you here Sheriff, I haven't seen you around in years. Aren't you suppose to be fighting evil or something, catching the bad guys?"

"Well, things have slowed down a helluva lot in my life over the years; I'm not the young man I was before. I'm thinking about turning the badge in soon and retiring. One can't live this lifestyle forever, you know?" Rooster agreed, "I see. I know where you're coming from, that's why I joined the circus, figured my time was done. Ah… the good old days, where did they go? I used to be a big shot Marshal, and now I'm on the road with this freak show, shooting apples for a living. Hah, who woulda knew that this is where I end up at the end of my life." The sheriff sat down next to Rooster and took a sip of his whiskey and sighed. "Well, that's life for you Rooster. You never know where you're going to end up with all of its crazy twists and turns". He paused for a second, looked at Rooster and asked, "Do you remember the story of how we met each other?" Rooster thought back for a minute and replied, "Well, my memory is a bit hazy, but I recall something about you arresting me after me getting my eye blown out. What a crazy day that was huh Sheriff, going from outlaw to U.S Marshal just like that."

"Haha indeed, you were a scumbag from the first day I met you. You still are, but at least you've learned to do some good with it", said the Sheriff. "Well I sure as hell can't argue with that. I've always wondered how my life would have turned out without you giving me that U.S Marshal job. Hell, I'd for sure be in jail or dead if I continued the path I was going down." The Sheriff chuckled, "Well, lucky you then, I guess I saved you. Oh by the way, have you seen that girl Mattie recently, you know, the girl you saved?" Rooster felt a surge of nostalgia when he heard her name. It all came back to him, Mattie, Laboeuf, and the Ned Pepper Gang. He hadn't thought about any of those in years, and now it was all rushing in a wave of memories. "Yes! I do remember! How is she doing?" he exclaimed excitedly. "She's doing alright; she never married though, what a pity. But then, she doesn't need a man, she's better off without one."

"Yes, Mattie was something else, never met anyone like her. Looking back, I suppose she is the reason I retired as Marshal. After that mission, I just felt like I was done, whatever I was looking for was found, and continuing to be a Marshal would have been a waste of time. It's strange how that little girl could have such a huge impact on me." said Cogburn. "Well, we are all searching for things in life; things that make us feel complete, or things that can help us move on. Shit, I mean, you used to be an outlaw for crying out loud. If I hadn't forced you to become a Marshal, you would've been stuck being an outlaw. Just like if Mattie hadn't came along, you would still be a Marshal, and wouldn't have joined the circus." said the Sheriff. "Hmm, that's an interesting point Sheriff, I never thought of it that way, but now that you say it like that, it all makes sense", said Cogburn. "So what's next for you Rooster?" asked the Sheriff. "Hell, I don't know, whatever life throws at me next I guess. I mean, that's the meaning of it, right?" answered Cogburn.


End file.
